Washington, July 29 (Inditop.com) A lack of sunlight seems to eclipse brain power in depressed people, according to the latest research.
Researchers used weather data from NASA satellites to measure sunlight exposure across the US and linked this information to the prevalence of cognitive impairment in depressed people.
Cognitive impairment or brain fog is defined as unusually poor mental function, associated with confusion, forgetfulness and difficulty.
Shia Kent of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) led a team of researchers who used cross-sectional data from 14,474 people in the National Institute of Health funded study. They investigated stroke incidence and risk factors and studied associations between depression, cognitive function and sunlight.
“We found that among participants with depression, low exposure to sunlight was associated with a significantly higher predicted probability of cognitive impairment. This relationship remained significant after adjustment for season,” Kent said.
“This new finding that weather may not only affect mood, but also cognition, has significant implications for the treatment of depression, particularly seasonal affective disorder.”
Kent and colleagues speculate that the physiological mechanisms that give rise to seasonal depression may also be involved in sunlight’s effect on cognitive function in the context of depressive symptoms.
Cognitive function was assessed by measurement of short-term recall and temporal orientation. In addition to regulating the hormones serotonin and melatonin, light has been shown to also affect brain blood flow, which has in turn been linked to cognitive functions.
These findings were published in the open access journal Environmental Health.
